Musings of Solitude
by Carchee
Summary: Lisanna thinks over her years in the guild while walking back from a mission. One-shot. Manga Spoilers.


**Please no Lisanna hate. Inspiration hit me like a freight train.**

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Lisanna was starting to get sick of it. All of it. She had been tolerant for so freaking long and her patience was gone. Everyone in the guild was paired off and having children. Hell, the twins were already seven! It had been 7 years since the first of the next generation was born and it sure as heck didn't slow down. Gods she was an aunt of 5 children. FIVE. And that was in a barely 4 year time period. She was one of the dwindling number of single people with no children. Laxus and herself being the only two that weren't really seeking a relationship or children. Even Cana had a kid. Cana.

She shook her head and stepped up the pace. Pulling in a sharp breath, she let her thoughts wander farther into the land of distraction. It had been eight years since Zeref had basically destroyed Fiore and while most of the people had recovered, not everything had. The first year after Zeref was an odd time for the guild. Lisanna had thrown herself into her magic, terrified of ever feeling weak again. Her sister had become even more obsessed with guild life. Mira threw a party for nearly every birthday and wore herself thin trying to please everyone. Elfman had finally "manned" up and had convinced Evergreen to go steady with him. When Lucy's book got published it was a big sigh of relief for everyone. Life finally started feeling normal again. When Team Natsu had left for a 100 year quest it had been quiet for a while but it was still Fairy Tail. Things were happy again. Jellal, Meredy, Cobra, and Midnight (now Macbeth) had joined Fairy Tail shortly after they were pardoned while the remaining members went their own ways with different guilds. Laxus' first job as the new guild master had been to give them their Fairy Tail guild stamps. Within two years of Alvarez, Mira had begun seriously dating Macbeth, Elf was engaged, and she had decided to try actively dating. Eventually Elfman and Evergreen broke off their engagement, deciding to just keep dating instead. Which of course went to hell when she found out she was pregnant. Nothing felt shotgun about the wedding once Mira got involved and in all honesty the couple worked much better after they had more commitment. Of course, this caused Mira to get the wedding/baby bug and shortly after she was saying "I do" with Macbeth. Lisanna's own love life was quite a bit less successful. After a small fling with Bickslow and a year later an almost engagement with Alec the baker she was pretty much ready to give up on love. The last few years she had kept to herself. Spoiling her nieces and nephews rotten but not really looking for anything steady. She had made S class two years ago and was quickly becoming a real strength to the guild. She had long ago abandoned the pink fluffy bunnies she used to favor so much and had taken in some deadly forms. It was practically a requirement once she found herself doing more and more solo missions.

She slowed, feeling her energy steadily decreasing. Coming back from Edolas had been hard. Harder than she thought it would be and harder than she let on. At first she had everyone had fawned over her and dropped everything for her. She basked in it, loving seeing HER Fairy Tail again. But after a while it became too much. They may not have seen her grow from a girl to a woman but she had seen "them" all go through the transition. She was ready to just settle in and move on. Mira held onto it far longer than the rest of the guild. Constantly trying to baby her. It had led to Lisanna taking an extended vacation on her own. She had learned a lot about herself and really enjoyed the time away. Coming back had a bit of a double edged sword to it. She had really tried to put all that time behind her and while the guild was better about it, they were still trying to adjust. Natsu, unsurprisingly, also had a hard time adjusting to her being back. He had always adored her and while she had missed him, she wasn't hurt or even offended that he had clicked with other members in her absence.

In actuality she really loved Lucy. There weren't a lot of members that had joined after she left for Edolas. Lucy was a breath of fresh air for her. She could go out with her and spend time with her without having to rehash the past constantly. Of course, Mira thought this was all born of some jealousy over Natsu. It had really strained the blossoming friendship they had and in the end they were more of guild friends than close friends. Kinana had been another person who had joined later and while at first, they didn't really have much to talk about, they ended up getting close just by being forced together. Both were coerced into helping Mira at the bar. Once Mira started dating Macbeth, they both got dragged into all sort of events surrounding the two. Kina was dating Cobra at the time and since he refused to allow his grumpy ass to get thrown into Mira's stupid stuff, Lisanna got dragged along as a substitute. A similar situation was how she found herself in a short term relationship with Bickslow. Eventually she was left out of a lot of "couple events" simply because Mira learned it was far easier to just exclude her instead of listening to her whine. Lisanna had a high tolerance for Mira, but after Alec her patience level had taken a steady decline.

Slowing to a stop she whistled and pat her leg, moving off the road to take a seat in the grass. A white and liver colored fluff nearly bowled her over and she burst into laughter, wincing. "Atlas, you silly mutt! Have some patience." Snuggling him closer she sighed deeply into his fur. Having a dog in her life was one of the best things that had happened to her. Overwhelming loneliness had nearly consumed her after her failed engagement. She had found him out on a mission, shivering under a tree, trying to hide from an angry vulcan. She had scooped him up and snuggled him tight and that was it. She was a dog owner. He had eased a large burden on her heart and given her something to fuss over. With a firm lick to her face, he wiggled out of her hold and settled next to her on the grass.

Leaning back on her arms she looked up at the sky. It was a really beautiful day. Late spring so the flowers were still blooming, but the sun was starting to get a real heat to it. A soft breeze lifted a few strands of her hair and she closed her eyes at the sensation. This was supposed to have been a quiet and quick mission. Chase the vulcan away and collect the reward. Somehow it had turned into her single-handedly taking down a hoard of vulcans as well as some bandits. Who had a mage in their group. Rolling her eyes she fell back into the grass. She had managed but had taken a few hits in the process.

She winced when Atlas bumped her side. Ok so one major hit and a few minor scrapes. She glanced down at the bandage and hissed when she saw the spot of blood. She was less than an hour from Magnolia but it was really getting to her. They had a doctor in town that stitched her up but he was a drunk and she honestly could have done better herself. Slowly sitting up she dug around in her bag, getting out a gauze wrap and a canteen of water. Taking a sip, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh air. Life was really getting to her. She had been able to block it out and just live but even Atlas wasn't completely getting rid of the constant ache. She was just so. damn. lonely. The guild felt like a different universe sometimes. Wiping a stray tear, she picked up the gauze. Lifting her shirt she wrapped herself carefully, hissing when she pulled it tight. Even trying to mentally drown herself in her woes wasn't doing much to distract from the pain anymore.

Close. She was so close. Mentally she tried to gather every scrap of energy left in her body as she heaved herself upright. Tucking everything back into her bag, she looked down at her energetic companion. With a smile she let out a low whistle, pointing down the road towards Magnolia. With a yip he took off, bolting down the road. She was honestly really glad she had trained him so well. He could make it to Magnolia far faster than her and would be able to get someone at the guild. She had thought that she could make it but it seemed like her energy was just far too low. Trains weren't an option and they had offered her a cart but the cost was literally almost all of her reward money. When she had left she had felt fine. Forgetting, of course, the huge amounts of pain killers they had given her.

With a sigh she started off again, much slower this time. Without Atlas it was quieter but knowing someone could meet her halfway was a huge relief. She looked around, keeping tabs on her surroundings as well as just enjoying the day. It really was a beautiful day. She could hear the chatter of birds and the breeze was just strong enough to make the leaves sound like wind chimes. She hummed quietly to herself, the sun on her bare shoulders making her feel a little better. After about 15 minutes of walking she felt herself falter. Honestly, she probably should have just waited until someone came to help her. She'd never had an injury quite like this. Normally she could stick it out and heal where she got hurt. While she had trained Atlas to go to the guild if she needed it, she hadn't ever really needed it. For the most part she did things on her own and getting help for something like this would be a first for her. When she misstepped a second time, she moved off the path to sit in the grass. Someone would be there eventually.

It took longer than she expected. After half an hour she started getting worried. It was an hour walk to Magnolia from where she had sent him off and he had been booking it. She was starting to feel a bit too light headed for comfort. A roll of thunder in the distance made her more anxious. She did not need a summer storm right now. Much to her surprise, the roll of thunder turned out not to be a summer storm but Laxus. Senses on high alert, she physically jumped when he appeared before her in a crackle of lightening.

"Hey kid, what happened?" Pushing aside her shock she looked up at him. He had been guild master for a few years now and had become borderline obsessive over each and every member of his guild. Throwing all his time into the guild had left little time for romance and he had quickly become the hottest bachelor of Fairy Tail. With a grumble she gently pushed herself up, ignoring his out stretched hand. "Job wasn't what it was supposed to be. Got a bit banged up and their doctor was a little...past his prime. Just need some rest and a check up." Laxus let out a loud breath, gently setting his hand on her shoulder. "Wendy's out on a job, sorry kiddo. Gonna have to see the dragon on this one." Lisanna flinched, leaning towards his warm form. She was starting to feel a chill in the breeze. "I thought the old bat retired." He smirked down at her, pulling her closer as he gathered his magic. "Nope. Sorry." He grinned, transporting them outside the old cabin. Sagging, she leaned against him. Whatever energy she had left was dangerously low. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her up and dragged her to the door. Porlyusica had the door open before he could even knock. "This better be serious ya damn brats. I don't have time to coddle." Lisanna rolled her eyes, letting herself get directed to an open cot. Sitting heavily she almost immediately ripped her shirt up. The bandages were itching like mad and she could already feel a touch of what could be a fever. Laxus flinched away from her and Porlyusica moved in quickly, tugging at the bandages. Glancing at Laxus, she saw his eyes widen when the bandages were finally pulled away. "That bad, huh?" He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "When Atlas showed up without you the guild wasn't sure what the hell happened. Mira came and got me, freaking the hell out in the process. I figured I'd get you myself but damn kid. I didn't think it would look that rough."

Glancing down at her side she grimaced, feeling the healer tugging her stitches loose. "It was a pretty nasty one and the doctor was well into happy hour by the time I got into town. Looks like all my walking didn't help." A fierce tug made her yelp and she met the glare of the demon. "You should never have let such a hack job get anything near you. And walking?! You brats really are trying to kill yourselves." With a huff, she turned and grabbed a few bottles. Lisanna rolled her eyes again, smiling up at Laxus. "Should have seen the other guys." Chuckling he pat her head lightly. "I'm going to head back to the guild, do you need anything." Sighing she shook her head. Mira was going to be intolerable. "Can you somehow get Mira to wait? I don't think her presence would be much appreciated." A grunt from Porlyusica had Laxus grinning and he gently tugged her ear before heading towards the door. "Do my best. Stop by before you head home. Get you some food and I'll get the details for the incident report." At Lisanna's noise of protest, Porlyusica appeared with a broom, swatting after him. "Out, brat!" With a booming laugh and a crackle of lightening he was gone.

He must have deemed her not too bad if he expected her at the guild after she got stitched up. Sighing she let her shoulders fall a bit more. Now that open air was hitting the jagged cut and hasty stitches, it was stinging like crazy. When a thin liquid was poured over her torso she couldn't help the hiss. For once, Porlyusica wasn't hyper critical and just quietly undid the stitches. Feeling a slight sweat build between her shoulder blades she risked another glance down. She had been really out of it when she came and didn't realize how _long_ the injury was. Stretching from her hip to the middle of her rib-cage was an uneven gash. Pushing her back, the healer continued to snip the botched stitch job, opting for silence instead of berating her. She felt a wave of pain as the last stitch released and her barely healed wound tugged open, letting blood ooze out. "Don't move brat, I need to stitch it tightly." The soft look felt out of place and confused her before she felt a tug followed by another wave of pain. She knew it had been a bad one but having to get it re-stitched felt worse than when she had gotten the wound in the first place.

With one last tug she heard a snip and felt a cool balm being rubbed over the newly stitched skin. "Luckily it wasn't a very deep wound. You'll need to have Wendy check on it when she gets back. She might be able to minimize scarring." Gently pulling Lisanna up, she began wrapping the bandage tightly around her. "You'll need to keep up on some medicine to prevent infection. I've got some to take with you." Pulling tightly she examined the bandaging one last time before moving to a low table and grabbing a small bottle of elixir. "A swig of this before bed for a week should help. If you get feverish or the blood is seeping more than it should, come in and I'll fix you up. Are you ok to walk?"

Gently Lisanna put her feet on the ground, testing her weight. "I should be ok." Standing fully, she felt drained but much better than before. She was uncomfortable, the bandage was tight and her sweat had cooled on her skin, but she could get herself to the guild. Porlyusica's gaze sharpened and she slowly reached for her broom. "Then out, brat!" With a chuckle Lisanna grasped the bottle and walked as quickly as she could out of the hut. "Thanks, Porlyusica!" The door slammed and Lisanna laughed, walking towards town.

Atlas met her just as she reached the border of town. She felt refreshed seeing her companion but was feeling the length of the day by the time she had reached the guild. Bracing herself she squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the guild doors. This was going to be difficult. Sighing she opened the guild doors, slipping inside and standing just to the side to let her eyes adjust. Unluckily for her it was a quiet day. Not many people were in the guild and no brawls. "LISANNA!" She felt her rather than saw her. The more children Mira had, the worse she got. She could not help herself. Pushing herself up against the wall she prepared to get pounced but when she felt soft hands on her face instead of a body throwing her onto the ground, her eyes opened in surprise. Meeting Mira's gaze she saw the baby blue eyes were on the verge of tears. "Laxus said it was a rough one. Are you ok? I've called Wendy already she'll be here tomorrow." Lisanna hung her head, groaning. "Mira I'm ok. I'm not going to die. You really didn't need to call Wendy back early." "I asked her to." Lisanna looked up in surprise, meeting Laxus' guarded gaze. She tried to protest but Mira was immediately dragging her to the bar, spouting all sorts of nonsense words. Groaning she let herself be dragged, already knowing she would at least get something delicious out of the fussing.

A pink smoothie was placed in front of her and before she could object Mira was in the back, still bubbling syllables. Sighing she dropped her head to the bar. She really wanted a strong drink but Mira still perpetually thought of her as her baby sister and downright refused to give her anything stronger than the occasional glass of wine. Rolling her head she glared at the offensive smoothie. Mira also seemed to "forget" she had grown out of her strawberry obsession and actually preferred raspberries. When a big bowl of mac and cheese was placed in front of her a minute later she wasn't surprised in the least. In all honesty she still loved mac and cheese but she had long outgrown her desire to eat only mac and cheese. Hell, she had grown out of it BEFORE Edolas. She let it slide, knowing Mira was beyond worried but still let that little part of her mind grumble in the background.

Flashing a small smile at Mira, she dug into the food. It really was delicious. Mira seemed content to clean one small section of the bar nearby, watching her. She took a sip of the smoothie to appease her sister. Halfway through her bowl of food, she turned when a hulking form settled in next to her. "Just count yourself lucky your brother is gone today," he said lowly. Chuckling she pushed the smoothie towards him, taking another bite of her food. "Well thanks for giving her the heads up to not take me to the ground." Mira sniffed, hitting the bar with a little more force than necessary. "I would not have done that." Kinana passed behind her laughing. "Oh Mira, you're not fooling anyone." With a wink she snuck a small rocks glass in front of the younger takeover make and before Mira could make a noise, Lisanna downed it. "Thanks Kina! That was perfect." With a wink the purple haired bar maid waltzed off, heading towards the other end of the bar. Huffing, Mira moved a bit closer to Lisanna, watching her eat critically. "Mira! You don't need to watch me that closely! I'm at the guild I'm ok." Pouting the older Strauss tapped her sisters nose. "I'm just worried sis that's all. You don't come home injured often." Lisanna knew she was trapped on that one. Clearing his throat Laxus turned their attention to him. "Hey Mira, can you grab me a drink?" Glaring at him she poured him a beer, purposely make it foamy. "Mirajane, she's home. You get until she's finished with her food to worry and then go spoil your kids. I need her up in my office." Snagging his beer he lightly tapped Lisanna's shoulder. "Take your time, kid," and then walked towards the second floor. Lisanna watched him briefly before digging into the rest of her food. The faster she got through the meeting, the faster she could be asleep in her bed.

Mira seemed to be pleased with Laxus suggestion and kept an eye on her sister as she finished her dinner. "Thanks, sis. Spoils the kiddos. I'm safe. I've got this meeting and then I'll go straight home and sleep." Leaning forward, Mira wrapped a hand around the back of her sister's head and pressed their foreheads together. "Love you, Lisanna." Smiling, Lisanna met her gaze, giving her other hand a pat. "Love you too, Mira." Satisfied, she released her, swiping up her bowl and twirling towards the kitchen. Lisanna stood and stretched slowly, popping her spine. She met a few eyes around the guild, reassuring them with a smile.

Right before she reached the stairs, a quiet Macbeth appeared at her side. Gently holding her arm, he met her gaze. "If you need anything, just let us know. Glad you're ok, sis." It was the first time since Laxus had appeared on the path that she actually felt like crying. Macbeth only called her sis when he was really worried or scared. Porlyusica had made her aware of the seriousness of her injuries more than she cared to admit. Acknowledging he was worried almost made the emotional dam burst. He was a man of few words and even fewer emotions. Pulling him into a light hug, she briefly buried her face into his shoulder. "Thanks, brother. I'll be ok." It was the first time she had actually addressed him as her brother and she knew for a fact her sister would be all over her about it tomorrow. He hugged her back, trying to be light but adding just a bit of grip to his hug. He wasn't just part of Fairy Tail, he was a Strauss and sometimes he struggled with just how much love the siblings had in their family. Pulling back she gently pat his cheek before heading up the stairs.

Laxus's door was open when she got to the landing and she breezed in. It had been her first time in a while being in his office but she wanted to get this the hell over with. She could practically hear her pillows calling her name. "Door," Laxus's commanding tone had her grinding to a halt. She tilted her head, looking at him curiously but he was engrossed in some paperwork on his desk. Exaggerating her sigh, she turned and shut the door. Throwing him a harmless glare, she slumped into the chair in front of his desk. Mira had made her tense as hell and the hug with Macbeth had been the cherry on top. "So-" "How bad did she say it was?" Her mouth fell open. Not only had he totally cut her off but he didn't even look up from his paperwork. Recovering she watched him closely. Something was off with him. "She said it wasn't too deep." He paused in his writing, seeming to read something on his papers. "That's all she said?" Nodding she carefully pulled a knee up to her chest. "Yeah that's about it."

He looked up then, his stormy eyes seeming to look through her. "Huh. Did she give you something?" He glanced at her torso before looking down at his papers again. "Yeah something for infection. Are you ok, Laxus? You seem kind of off." He scowled, shifting the papers around on his desk. "I'm fine, just a lot of work. Let's get this report started." Avoiding eye contact, he pulled a different form out of a desk drawer and lightly tapped it with him pen. "What was your official job description?" Lisanna huffed, knowing he was lying. Something was bugging him. But he was Laxus, the ever emotionless. He only ever seemed to get worked up when something made him mad. Half of her was convinced he was just upset a guild mate got hurt but the other half felt like something else was going on. Even when pissed he normally had a bit more composure.

"A rogue vulcan was picking off a small town's livestock and they needed it handled." He nodded writing quickly. "What was the reward?" "25,000 jewel." "Where was it located?" "Breezly Hills." He paused in his writing, glaring down at the paper. "Well that explains a few things," he grumbled quietly. "Laxus, they're not that bad." He looked up at her then, a firm scowl on his face. "I have never had a mage come back successfully from Breezly Hills. They almost always lie about the job that needs done so they can under pay. I'm going to be bringing this up with the council." Rolling her eyes, she pulled her other leg up, tucking it under her. "Their 'town' is five farmers and their families. They can barely afford to feed themselves much less pay mages to get rid pests." He scowled at her again, gripping his pen tightly. "I won't tolerate one of my guild mates getting hurt because they lied. You are the first person to come back with serious injuries and you will be the last." He cut off her words of protest, jerking up from his seat to lean over his desk. "Lisanna, I know that when Porlyusica doesn't say anything it's bad. You're lucky you are strong. I could have lost a mage if they weren't S-class. Anyone could have taken that request. It's unacceptable. You're one of my best mages and I won't lose you." He paled a bit at that, sinking back into his seat. "I will no longer accept requests from Breezly Hills, end of discussion. Now, what were you told when you arrived in town?" Watching his face, she laced her fingers together, pulling gently on her knee. Something else was definitely up. "They said there was at least one vulcan but there might be a few more around. I genuinely don't think they knew about the bandits." He huffed at that, writing furiously. "They knew, Lisanna. You're far too nice. I had an informal request about a month ago from them but I refused unless they sent an official one. I hadn't even thought to check the details of the request when Mira got it. Sounds like the bandits became 'a vulcan' to save some money."

Lisanna felt her cheeks heat. He was really starting to piss her off. He was in a sour mood for no real reason and instead of pushing it aside he was getting all heated about a town of poor farmers. Truth be told she was a little upset at herself. Her injury had happened because she had let herself get distracted and she really didn't want to have to repeat those details to him. "Well anyway MASTER what is your next question." She glared harshly at his pen, refusing to meet his eyes. His writing paused, his grip tightening momentarily before loosening again.

"What happened once you set out?" he asked gruffly. Her chest twisted internally, knowing he wouldn't let her gloss over anything. Briefly meeting his eyes, she twisted her fingers together and turned her eyes down, staring a hole into her knee. "I tracked the vulcan to a small clearing less than a mile away. It was pretty clear this was the vulcan that was causing a problem. I saw evidence that he had been taking livestock for a while." She took a deep breath, screwing her eyes shut for a moment before resuming her staring contest with her knee. "I transformed into my own vulcan form and took him down pretty quickly. I wasn't expecting an entire hoard of vulcans to come pouring out the trees so they got a few hits on me before I changed into my wyvern form and took them out." She paused, risking a glance at him. He was looking down at his papers, writing steadily. She could see his eyebrows bunched but turned away before he could meet her eyes. "So uhh... I may have let myself slip a bit. I thought I was good and transformed back into my normal form. I wasn't even aware something was wrong until I head Atlas growling." She flinched, flexing her hands. "I immediately transformed into my vulcan form. I should have gone with my wyvern but I thought it would just be a lone vulcan. I twisted and managed to get a bandit right away and I-I..." She paused twisting her hands together. "I don't know what I was thinking but I slammed him so hard into the ground..." She sighed, knowing she still had a lot to get through. "His skull cracked on impact. I believe my magic took over some of my self control and unfortunately he was not a mage and couldn't physically handle it. It sobered me enough to take more care in what I was doing. It also made me a bit more cautious and it cost me a few hits. From what I saw at the time, they were just non-magic thugs. They were relatively easy to get under control once I got my head on straight. I tied them up and dragged them to town. I think seeing their buddy get taken down gave them a better sense of mortality because they didn't fight me too much at the end." She felt light-headed and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. She was a mage. Death was part of life. It still tore at her soul to have to the weight of taking someone's life. It didn't happen often even with how serious fights could get and she knew it would hurt for a while. She glanced up when she heard his pen hit the desk but she quickly looked down again, shifting so both of her knees were tucked into her chest.

"I wasn't thinking. Everything about the situation was overwhelming and to be honest I was a bit shocked. Normally fighting a mage, that hit would have been nothing. It was just my vulcan form. I was so out of my head that I didn't see the trap right on the boundary of town. It was the simplest rune trap in the book. Keep whoever walked into it in it. The stupid mage that was with the bandits was incredibly lucky. My magic limits me if I'm physically bound and I was pretty stuck. I looked away for one second to glance at the town's people who had gathered nearby and that's when he got his hit. It was the larger slice I took to the torso. He had some kind of sword even though he was supposedly a shadow mage. He was clearly untrained. When he put his sword in the rune trap it broke the seal, however. I transformed into a simpler form and got him down pretty easily but I was pretty frazzled and he managed to destroy a few pieces of fence in the process. I tied him up with the other bandits and they called the proper authorities. They managed to call the doctor from Rimrock for me but he wasn't expecting to be called and was already pretty drunk. They didn't bill me for any damage and paid the doctor's fee since my job was for a single vulcan. They paid the reward and I was off on my way back to Fairy Tail." She rushed out the last part, already feeling numb. She had hoped Laxus wouldn't have been the one they sent but no such luck. She knew the second she saw Laxus that she would have to spill everything and all she really wanted was to go to bed and cuddle her dog.

"Lisanna-" She stood up abruptly. "Is that all you needed Laxus? I'm incredibly tired. It's been a long day and I just want to go to bed." She kept her eyes trained firmly on the floor. She was done. This day was too much and she was done. The silence continued and after a few minutes she finally looked up, ready to give him one of the fierce Strauss woman glares. She was not expecting the expression on his face. He looked...sad? She met his eyes, seeing far more than sadness flash on his face. She had never seen him look like that. Disbelief, grief, anger, and some other emotion all flashed on his face before he settled on a soft look. "Lisanna. Do you need to talk about it?" Sighing she sunk back into the chair. "Honestly Laxus I don't know if I could today. I am so exhausted. Can we table that for tomorrow?" Nodding he stood up, coming around the desk. He leaned back on his desk, standing in front of her. "Tomorrow will be ok. Don't keep this all bottled up, kid. It's not healthy. My door is always open."

Standing up she lightly tapped his arm, turning towards the door. "Thanks Laxus." He grabbed her hand, pulling her into a gentle hug. "I'm always here if you need me." She looked up at him as he hugged her a little tighter. "Be safe, Pixie." Stiffening in shock she met his eyes, her mouth hanging open. Chuckling he reached around and tapped her mouth shut. He hadn't called her Pixie since long before Edolas. A light blush dusted her cheeks and when he saw it he released her, a hint of red creeping up onto his face as well. "I'll see you tomorrow." Dazed, she turned towards the door. As she opened the door she glanced over her shoulder, seeing he had followed her partly to the door. Throwing any form of caution to the wind she bound towards him, pressing a light kiss to his cheek before turning and bolting to the door. "Tomorrow," she called over her shoulder.

Trying to compose herself, she slowed as she reached the stairs. Waving at her sister across the guild hall, she headed towards the door. "See ya, Mira! I'm going to go get some sleep." Mira waved, a baby on her hip. "Bye Lisanna!" A chorus of "byes" from the children rang out and she gave them all a smile. Reaching the door she took a deep breath, holding tightly to the handle. It had been one hell of a day.

"Lisanna!" She turned, looking up towards the second floor. "Tomorrow?" She nodded, the blush returning full force. He grinned, ignoring the curious looks of the the guild. "I'll hold you to it."


End file.
